Erik's POV

"Christine?"

I was in so much pain… After being released from the infirmary, I found myself lying in my upstairs bedroom in agony. I couldn't move and my side was throbbing with an unbearable pain. To make matters worse, my face hurt.

"Christine?"

I easily gripped my side and cringed, needing her now more than ever.

"Christine, I really need you…"

A few moments later, the woman entered carrying a damp cloth. She seemed flustered and I knew why… Tending to both Gustave and I had exhausted her.

"Sorry, Erik… Gustave just won't go to sleep."

"I doubt it that he'll be able to sleep for a while…"

The moment I cringed again, Christine placed the cloth against my inflamed cheek.

"There you are, ange… Oh, you poor man. Look what they've done to you."

"I'll survive."

There was a second of silence before a loud scream and a cry startled us both. I knew it was Gustave… I knew he was petrified about what had taken place earlier today. Christine was about to get up, when I moved the blankets aside and reached for my mask.

"I'll go, Christine…"

"Erik, you need to rest. You can barely even walk…"

"I'll manage… I need to speak to the boy alone."

Christine helped me stand to my feet and pressed her lips against my own.

"I love you…" she mewed. "And Gustave loves you too."

When I was at Gustave's door, I lightly knocked and entered to find his room empty. I knew he was here, for where else would he be? I headed to his closet and knocked.

"Is there a secret password to get in?"

The door slowly opened, and there, inside the large closet was Gustave. He was covered in a fort of blankets and was surrounded by his stuffed animals.

"Well? Are you going to invite me in? It's kind of cold out here…"

Pretending with the boy was one of the only ways I could interact with him. The child barely spoke, but when he did, it was usually when we were playing together. After closing the closet door, I easily sat down in the fort of blankets and smiled.

"So, where are we tonight?"

"Anywhere," he murmured. "Anywhere that the monster can't find me."

Knowing that I couldn't continue this charade forever, I decided to tell my son the truth. I could only hope that he could accept it.

"Gustave…Gustave, I'm all right. You know that, right? What happened today will never happen again, I promise."

"The monster," he cried. "He must have found me, and the other people must have saw him too. Why, Dada? Why did they want to hurt me? They should have hurt the monster, not me…"

"Gustave, remember when I told you that you needed to keep the mask on in order to keep the monster away?"

He nodded and wiped his teary eyes.

"I need to tell you something, Gustave… Actually, I need to show you something, but I want you to understand it. I don't want you to fear it, I want you to try and understand. Can you do this for me?"

Gustave nodded and I took him by the hand. I led the boy out of the closet and sat him down on his bed.

"Gustave, I wear a mask because I have the same problem that you have. I'm…I'm going to show you why I wear this mask, but I need you to promise me that you won't scream. Can you do this for me?"

I knew I was making the boy uncomfortable, but this was a lesson that needed to be taught. He needed to know that there wasn't a monster…He needed to know that he was born deformed because his father was deformed as well. When he nodded, I slowly took off my mask, only to have the boy's eyes go wide with fear. He didn't scream, nor did he run away…No, he just sat there staring at my face with that frightened expression of his.

"T…The…The monster…" he cried. "He's here…"

"He's not a monster, Gustave, he's me… This is my face. This is what I truly look like. That monster that you saw in the water…It wasn't a monster, it was your own reflection."

"I…I look like you?" he cried. "That's why the people hurt me?"

I scooped the child up into my arms and took him to the wardrobe I kept the mirror hanging in. From there, I removed his mask and my son looked at his reflection freely for the first time in his life.

"I…I'm ugly," he sobbed. "I'm so ugly… They thought that I was the monster."

"No, Gustave. You're not hideous, you're my son, and you are absolutely beautiful. It's the world that's truly ugly, son."

"I'm not afraid of you, Dada…I don't care what you look like. You're my Dada…"

"And I don't care what you look like either, Gustave. To me, you are beautiful."

Knowing that the child had seen himself long enough, I carried him back into his room and placed him into bed.

"Gustave, you don't have to wear your mask in the house any longer. You only have to wear it when you go outside. The world doesn't understand people like us, Gustave, which is why you have to protect yourself."

"All right, Dada…I…I love you."

I kissed the child on the cheek and tucked him in.

"You are beautiful, Gustave, don't you forget it. Just because you look different than anyone else doesn't make you any different, son."

With that, I left his room and entered the hall, only to bump into Christine. Had she heard our entire conversation? I wasn't sure, but the next thing I knew, she was kissing me.

"I love you, Erik… You are such a wonderful father."

"He needed to know the truth, Christine… He needed to know the truth before something worse happened."

"I know… I love you, Erik."

"Come, Christine, let's go to bed. I think we've both had enough excitement for one night."

Nothing was better than having Christine sleeping beside me. Now that we were finally together, I never wanted to lose her again. She and Gustave were my world and I knew that was never going to change. I wasn't sure when I felt Christine moving, but when I opened my eyes and spotted her dressing in front of the wardrobe, I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

"Christine, where are you going?"

"To work, Erik… It's five and I need to be there by six. I'm sorry… I know I shouldn't be going, but we need the money."

As Christine placed on her apron, I sighed.

"Christine, someday, I swear to you that you won't have to be a waitress. Someday, you're going to be in the lights."

"Lights?" she giggled. "I don't need to be in the lights, Ange… I'm happy being a mother and a waitress."

Christine placed a kiss to my lips and brushed her fingers through my hair.

"I'll bring you your medicine, Erik. After that, I'm going to work. Take care of Gustave today."

When Christine was gone, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep. When I woke again, it was to a knock at the door. I wasn't sure who that could have been, but I maneuvered myself out of bed and hobbled down the stairs grasping my side. Oh, I hoped that this was Christine…The noise had startled my son, for he came rushing out into the hallway.

"Go back to bed, Gustave," I moaned. "It's all right."

When I was at the door, I pulled it open to find Mr. Squelch standing there.

"Ah, Erik… I had to find Nadir. He told me you lived here."

"And why would you care where I lived? What time is it anyway?"

Mr. Squelch gazed at his pocket watch. "Ah…Nine thirty?"

"Mr. Squelch, I had a really rough night and I need to sleep. I'll be back to work within a few days."

"Erik, I need to speak to you about last night. It's truly important."

I pulled open the door and let the man pass. He gazed at his surroundings and smiled.

"You have a nice home."

"Thank you, it's me…"

I led the man to my sitting area and offered him a seat on the couch. From there, the man went on to tell me what he had come here for.

"Erik, what happened yesterday in my park was truly unacceptable. I know that you didn't mean to get involved. I heard that you jumped in to save that poor boy."

"The boy?"

"Yes, the boy with the hideous face. It's nice that you took pity on him. He couldn't defend himself."

"Well, Mr. Squelch," I growled. "That hideous boy you so speak about is my son."

"Your son?"

"Yes, my son inherited my hideous face and because of me, he has to suffer."

"Your son? That child was your son?"

Knowing that Mr. Squelch wasn't going to believe me until I proved this to him, I called my son into the room. Gustave came walking in, his face badly bruised from the day before. The boy crawled into my lap and Mr. Squelch seemed to take pity on him.

"Erik, I'm sorry…"

"Well," I sneered. "So am I… I don't believe I'm going to return to work."

"But you just said…"

"I know, but I can't take the risk of having those monsters hurt me or my child again. He means the world to me and I won't put my family in danger."

"Erik…Don't be stupid."

"I'm not stupid, Mr. Squelch…"

Knowing that this conversation was about to take a turn for the worse, I sent my son away.

"Mr. Squelch, don't make me choose over my family's safety or my job… I've chosen and it's too late for me to reconsider. The world is cruel and I will not have something like yesterday happen again."

"I know that the world is cruel, Erik, but what would you have me do? Coney Island is a world just for us."

"If it is a world just for us, then why are these cruel people walking among us? If this world is for us, then lock the gates!"

"Lock the gates? Erik, we can't just barricade ourselves in Coney Island. The outsiders are bringing in money, money that is helping each one of us live. If you lock the gates, you might as well cut off our right hand! The world is our life."

"Then I will not return to work. My son is more important…"

"I have come here with a job offering. I want you to be Coney Island's new security along with being our maintenance man and brains. I want you to keep an eye on the park…Be the eyes and ears of our people. I know you can do it, Erik…"

"I'd be putting myself in danger, Mr. Squelch. The answer is no… I will not put myself in danger again. If you put me as your security, men will die a horrible death at my hands. I don't have pity for monsters."

"Then you decide what to do about the human race, Erik, but locking them out of Coney Island is not an option."

Mr. Squelch stood to his feet and headed towards the door.

"I expect to see you back at work in a few days. Auditions for the opera house are to be held soon and I need you there. Rest well until then."

And when Mr. Squelch was gone, I looked down at my feet. Me? What was I going to do? How could I not only protect the freaks of Coney Island, but my family as well? Mr. Squelch was asking me to play God, and that was someone I just couldn't be. My only option was to become the angel of death, and that was not an option either…


Sorry for the late update everyone... Been really sick. Stomach Virus... I think some of that Karma is rubbing off on me from hurting Erik so much in my story. Anyway, please review!